Color: Masai giraffes are indentified by the oak leaf pattern on their coat.

Continent: Africa

Range: Kenya, Tanzania

Habitat: Masai giraffes are found in the African Savanna south of the Sahara Desert.

Food: A giraffe may eat up to 75 pounds of food per day. Giraffes spend most of their day eating because they only get a few leaves in each bite. Their favorite leaves are acacia trees. Despite the fact that the Acacia trees have long thorns, the giraffes use their 18-inch tongue to reach around the thorns. When giraffes are not eating, they are chewing their cud. Acacia leaves contain a lot of water, so giraffes can go long periods of time without having to get a drink of water. Giraffes are very vulnerable when they are drinking because they have to bend a long way down to drink. Giraffes can drink up to 10 gallons of water a day.

Reproduction: Gestation is 14 months. When a baby giraffe, called a calf, is born, they drop about 6 feet to the ground, head first. The fall does not hurt the baby. At birth, the calves are about 6 feet tall and weigh between 100 to 150 pounds. The calf can stand up and walk after about an hour. Giraffes reach maturity at about 3 to 5 years of age.

Fun Facts: A giraffe's feet are the size of a dinner plate- about 12 inches. Giraffes have the same number of vertebrae in their necks as humans. A giraffe's tongue is 18 to 20 inches long and a black color. The black color helps to protect the tongue from getting sunburned as the giraffes eats. Giraffes can moo, hiss, roar, and whistle. Giraffes have the longest tail of any land animal. Their tails can be 8 feet long. The running speed of a giraffe is 35 miles per hour.